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SSL Manager

Configure the JMeter SSL Manager miscellaneous features: properties, defaults, and practical usage notes for building reliable load tests.

Difficulty
intermediate
Guide type
reference
Estimated read time
2 min read
Last verified version
Verified JMeter 5.6

Part of the Miscellaneous Features category. Also documented in context in the full Component Reference.

The SSL Manager is a way to select a client certificate so that you can test applications that use Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). It is only needed if you have not set up the appropriate System properties.

Choosing a Client Certificate

You may either use a Java Key Store (JKS) format key store, or a Public Key Certificate Standard #12 (PKCS12) file for your client certificates. There is a feature of the JSSE libraries that require you to have at least a six character password on your key (at least for the keytool utility that comes with your JDK).

To select the client certificate, choose Options โ†’ SSL Manager from the menu bar. You will be presented with a file finder that looks for PKCS12 files by default. Your PKCS12 file must have the extension โ€˜.p12โ€™ for SSL Manager to recognize it as a PKCS12 file. Any other file will be treated like an average JKS key store. If JSSE is correctly installed, you will be prompted for the password. The text box does not hide the characters you type at this point โ€” so make sure no one is looking over your shoulder. The current implementation assumes that the password for the keystore is also the password for the private key of the client you want to authenticate as.

Or you can set the appropriate System properties - see the system.properties file.

The next time you run your test, the SSL Manager will examine your key store to see if it has at least one key available to it. If there is only one key, SSL Manager will select it for you. If there is more than one key, it currently selects the first key. There is currently no way to select other entries in the keystore, so the desired key must be the first.

Things to Look Out For

You must have your Certificate Authority (CA) certificate installed properly if it is not signed by one of the five CA certificates that ships with your JDK. One method to install it is to import your CA certificate into a JKS file, and name the JKS file โ€œjssecacertsโ€. Place the file in your JREโ€™s lib/security folder. This file will be read before the โ€œcacertsโ€ file in the same directory. Keep in mind that as long as the โ€œjssecacertsโ€ file exists, the certificates installed in โ€œcacertsโ€ will not be used. This may cause problems for you. If you donโ€™t mind importing your CA certificate into the โ€œcacertsโ€ file, then you can authenticate against all of the CA certificates installed.

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